I thought this was an extremely well done friends to lovers story. It was also diverse, wove in a little bit of Hollywood, and tackled grief really beautifully. I love seeing smart romances like this one gaining so much popularity. They are a wonderful escape but not total brain candy. Perfect summer romance—can’t wait to sell it!

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review. Unfortunately the main characters were not speaking to me and I found it hard to carry on reading this story.

Laniah and Isaac have been best friends since they were young, and even though the now live on opposite sides of the country and have completely opposite lifestyles, their friendship is still going strong. When Isaac discovers that Laniah and her mother are on the verge of losing their small business, he uses his newfound influence to draw in new customers and breathe new life into their community. But when they both admit they have feelings for each other that go beyond friendship, will they be able to move their relationship to the next level? Or will fear of losing what they have keep them apart?

This was a good basic friends to lovers romance. I felt there could have been more in the way of relationship development as far as the big emotional crisis went. The resolution to that felt a little rushed to me, as did the reveal and resolution to the other issue they had to deal with as a couple. Overall, a good comfortable romance, but not one that will stick out to me for very long.

Providence, Rhode Island - Present Day

Laniah Thompson and her mother have opened the store they've long dreamed about. Wildly Green is a natural hair store selling the very products that Laniah's mother has been making for years. But business slackens off so much that the two women must close the shop and, hopefully, keep working from home.

To Laniah's surprise, her lifetime best friend, Isaac Jordan, who is an internet sensation, appears at her door as she's sorting through boxes brought from the store. She stalls telling him of the failure of the business because she doesn't want him to offer to help. But eventually, Isaac finds out, and he, of course, is intent on salvaging the hard work Laniah and her mother have put into their enterprise. And the only way he can think of to do this is to announce to his millions of media followers that he is dating Laniah.

Laniah and Isaac grew up across the street from each other, and have remained close friends into adulthood. But while they've both gone separate ways, both in life and in love, their shared memories are very strong. Is it possible that the love they feel for each other as friends can develop into a stronger, more romantic love?

A LOVE LIKE THE SUN is a modern romance with two people who are stronger, and wiser, because of the history that they share.

A thoughtful and emotional love story between two long-time best friends afraid to admit that their feelings for one another run deeper than friendship due to past experiences with loss and a need to hold on to their very dear friendship at all costs. Their backstories are moving and while the love between the two is palpable from early on, we know they have a journey ahead of them before they can embrace that love. The struggles go both directions, but most sharply from Laniah, our narrator, whose desires and fears create the push-and-pull dynamic that carries the friends through a very public fake-dating scheme, the challenge of maintaining their connection long-distance across the country, the re-launch of a beloved business venture that Madame CJ Walker is up there somewhere cheering about, the creation of deeply meaningful artwork, and a major health concern that goes un-diagnosed for far too long due to the negligence of Laniah's dismissive and shaming doctor. Neilson packs a lot into this story, emotionally and narratively, giving us a fully-fleshed out heroine who's gloriously imperfect and also so full of love for her family, friends, and community, it's impossible not to root for her. A dash of steam amps up the stakes and makes the reader ache for these two to get their HEA, and a beautiful thread about what Laniah recalls from past years adds meaning to even the smallest things like a candy wrapper or the pluck of a guitar string. With a well-rounded cast and a lovely sense of setting, family, and community, I enjoyed this immensely.

A love like the sun is a beautiful, slow burn, friends to lovers story. Isaac and Laniah are best friends since childhood, even as Isaac becomes famous. Isaac suggests they pretend to date so her store will get more attention. As they spend more time together fake dating, we learn more about their character and depth of love for one another. Riss M. Nelson does such an amazing job of leaving more and more crumbs so that the reader wants to keep turning the page to see when they will finally figure things out. By the time they finally admit their feelings for one another, I was twitter-pated, so in love with their connection and dying for them to be together.

A Love Like the Sun is my first book by author Riss M. Neilson.

This is a moving, beautiful story about overcoming your fears and also about love and loss. I enjoyed that fact that it was a slow-burn between Laniah and Isaac, who had been friends since childhood. I feel like this really helped to built the connection between the two of them, for the readers.

I think my only complaint about the book was that the ending felt a little rushed. I will definitely recommend to readers and look forward to reading more from this author.

Laniah and Isaac have been best friends since adolescence. And now he's a rising star in the art/ photography/ modeling world and her natural hair/skin care business is struggling. His solution? A picture posted on social media calling Laniah his baby, and a fake relationship. But can Laniah handle being thrust into the spotlight, and the revelation of her feelings for Isaac?

This was written so gently and rhythmically--the cadence was soothing. I never got bored, or tired. From beginning to end, I wanted to know what happened. Slow burns make me anxious but these two were worth waiting for, and I love the way the their story unfolded. The flashbacks were in a good place and they didn't overwhelm the story. These two were affectionate and funny at times, passionate and willing to go to each other without being called. The way Laniah navigated Isaac's vastly different life was nice. She was a bit oblivious and after a while, it grated a little but it was mostly cute. Her friends weren't as funny as I think they were intended to be, but not too distracting and her mother was great.

I will say it bothered me that Laniah kept so many things from this person we're supposed to believe had all her heart. Also, her constant harping on Melinda was weird and grating. I wish she hadn't been quite so tragic--first trying to give the ugly duckling with the hot friend vibes, then the second best to the hot model ex-girlfriend schtick. And her insistence that Isaac's upbringing automatically made HIM the one with the commitment issues when she spent the entire book running away from him was interesting. And there's a third act break-up I didn't understand at all. And the break-up dragged unnecessarily, I thought.

All in all, I did enjoy the book and would read the author again.

I absolutely loved this! I can’t wait to buy it for my library. The characters were complex but realistic and it was written so well. I truly fell in love with this book.

Loved you since forever but you’re my best friend????? Fake dating??? Sexual tension?! This book was beautiful. The bond that our two main characters have is something we all wish we had in real life. The way they have shared a life and need to figure out how they navigate this new space for them. Taking chances and risks to figure out what’s worth it. Must read!

A love like the sun. Sometimes when you grow up together and are best friends. You never realize you are soulmates. This is why you can’t find your true love. They are right beside you

Leniah (Ni) and Isaac have been best friends since childhood. Isaac is an artist who has become a famous influencer and model in Los Angelas and has paparazzi following him everywhere. He comes home to Rhode Island to visit Ni and discovers that her and her mom’s natural hair products store is struggling. He uses his platform to share about her store and suddenly business is booming. He suggests that he and Ni pretend to be in a relationship to attract an investor for their business. Ni struggles with being in the public eye but she goes along with it.

Ni is really sweet and oblivious to the fact that Isaac is in love with her. Isaac dated a model for a while and Ni thinks he is still in love with her. She is just really insecure about herself and I wished they had gotten together sooner. Luckily she has a couple of really good friends that encourage her relationship with Isaac.

I loved when Ni visits Isaac to see his art shows in Los Angelas and she gets to dress up and go out to meet his friends and on another trip to visit him, she meets one of her favorite singers.

There is a character in the story that has a chronic illness with a delayed diagnosis, and it was heart wrenching. The author talks more about this in her notes.

This is a slow burn, childhood friends to lovers story that is really sweet. Thank you to the author, Berkely and NetGalley for the advanced copy of the book.

I was actually drawn in from the second chapter to the point that I didn't put it down until the early morning. The second chapter just gave you enough information that you knew it would be a feel-good, Hallmark-esque romance that you're looking for when you want to shut off your brain. It is a slow burn though.

the way this story unfolds is simply not for me. the heroine lives her live with a practically nonexistent social media presence, and the hero decides to blast her on his high traffic social media platform without her knowledge or consent. I don't think this is the basis for a healthy friendship, much less romantic relationship.

while this is seemingly one small component of the larger story to hang onto, ultimately I was not impressed with the writing or this author's take on childhood friends to lovers with fake dating added into the mix.

✧ DNF 20%

Thank you #partner Berkley Romance for my #gifted copy. My review will be posted on my Bookstagram page closer to pub day.

A Love Like the Sun
By Riss M. Neilson

About: Laniah "Ni" Thompson and Issac Jordan have been best friends since childhood, and the two are no stranger to grief. Isaac spent the latter part of his childhood in foster care following the untimely death of both parents, while Ni subsequently lost her father to heart disease. Their rock solid friendship was their greatest source of comfort, and they remain close to this day.

Though the closest of friends, Issac and Ni couldn't be more different. Isaac is outgoing, free spirited, loves the public eye, and hops around from place to place, never quite able to put down roots, while Ni is a homebody who really values her privacy, and avoids social media at all costs. Issac is a model, artist and social media superstar, rubbing elbows with the rich and famous in California, while Laniah lives in their home state Rhode Island, cleaning hotel rooms and running a small hair product business with her mom, Vanessa. When Issac finds out that Laniah and Vanessa are about to close the doors on their business, he comes up with a plan to use his fame and influence to help his two favorite women stay in business. But will his plan work? Or are things about to get complicated between these two BFFs?

•Childhood friends to lovers
•Fake dating
•Opposites attract
•Slow burn 🔥
•Chronic illness / disability rep
•Grief / loss / heavy themes - check TWs

Thoughts: This book is so special and I loved it! I was seeking an emotional romance novel that pulled me in from the very beginning, so I sampled a handful before settling on A Love Like the Sun. Within the first few pages, I knew it was what I had been looking for, and I devoured it in two days.

The story takes place over one summer, is told in singular perspective (Laniah's POV), mostly from the present, with brief flashbacks to Issac and Ni's childhood. This was a good move, as it helps the reader feel more connected to the MCs.

I'm such a sucker for a childhood friends to lovers. I love that familiarity and the comfort of their shared history. I also love how Neilson navigates their opposing lifestyles and the ways in which fame can bring negativity.

There is a large cast of fantastic side characters here, including tons of great friends, but Ni's relationship with her mama is my fave! These two have such a special bond, and Vanessa is #momgoals. I'd love to read a book starting Vanessa! She deserves her own romance novel. 😉

I loved the inclusion of chronic illness and the ways in which women (particularly women of color) can be misdiagnosed or treated like it's all in their head. This is such an important topic and I hope it starts many conversations amongst readers. I also appreciate the brief commentary on colorism and how this impacts biracial women.

Issac and Ni's romance was tender and wholesome, with a genuine and deep love between them, stemming from years long friendship. the way they cared for one another, putting the others' needs above their own, was so swoony. Their love and respect and maturity within their relationship is something we don't often see in romance novels, so I really appreciate that. And the pining and desire.... 🔥 🥵 Oh how I love a slow burn, with all that build up! While I wouldn't consider this ultra spicy, it does have multiple on page descriptive sex scenes in the last half.

Overall, this is a beautiful, touching romance novel with high stakes and so much depth. While the romance is at the core here, it is more than just a romance novel. The subplots help carry the story and keep the pace going, adding nuance and making for a well-rounded novel easy to get swept away with. I highly recommend A Love Like the Sun for fans of Carley Fortune, Kennedy Ryan and Tia Williams, or anyone who enjoys a romance novel that'll make them feel 💕

It is well written but sort of boring and rather slow. Interesting characters. I stopped after chapter 3 (9%). Three stars for the target audience, four to five for the right readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC.

I beautiful and heartful debut. I really enjoyed this story and look forward to more by this author!

Magic, amazing, and so poetic. I loved this book from start to finish. I loved its characters even more. Riss M. Nielson is such a beautiful new voice of adult romance. Can’t wait to talk about it more!

A very sweet number. A story of childhood friends to lovers is beautifully written. This book has a lot to offer: chronic illness rep, grief, slow burn and witty dialogue. I did feel like the ending felt rushed and she had to wrap up quicker. If the illness was revealed at the mid way or even 3/4s part and think it would have read more flushed out

An absolutely beautiful, stunning debut! Im such a sucker for friends to lovers romance. This one struck me right in the heart. Perfect for fans of Carley fortune!